library woes

by brittniinink

Since I have a couple weeks off of work, I made a list of things I’d like to do.

Top of the list: go to the library.

It’s hard to believe that the last time I went to the public library was over a year ago, and coincided with a Hardcover episode on the subject. When I was a teenager, and even into my post-secondary days, libraries were safe havens. They were exciting labyrinths packed full of knowledge. I’d often leave overburdened, even when I only went in with one specific title in mind.

So yes, I thought, a library trip would be fun.

I got there, and everything felt wrong. I couldn’t find the fiction section. The books I did glance through were dull. I specifically looked up a book a friend recommended, but the branch I was at didn’t have it on location. Even though the librarian at the desk offered to set up an inter-library loan, my heart wasn’t in it.

I left the library with an empty backpack feeling very grey.

As I walked up the sidewalk, a friend drove by, called me, and offered to drive us somewhere for lunch. It was a welcome coincidence that took my mind off the sad event of a packed library that for some reason was uninteresting to me.

But the question still remains: am I just having a bad book day? Has the library changed for me? And what am I looking for when I go there now as opposed to when I was younger? I’ll let you know if I come up with anything.